In addition, June’s employment figures were revised upward by 4,900 jobs to bring total gains that month to 9,300 jobs. Minnesota has added 66,701 jobs in the past year, an increase of 2.3 percent, compared with a national growth rate of 1.5 percent during that period. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady in July at 3.7 percent.

Police say they received a report just after 1pm that a man was acting suspicious around some teenage girls and touched at least one inappropriately.

When police arrived, they found the suspect in a car in the parking lot. Police say an odor of alcohol was detected and the suspect’s speech was slurred.

An 18-year-old female witness said the suspect had been acting suspicious,“weird,” was too close to her, and he touched her breast with his elbow, which she felt was not accidental.

The suspect, 32-year-old Gideon Daniel Krienke was arrested for DUI and taken to the McLeod County Jail.

Krienke has been charged with one count of 5th-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of 2nd-degree DWI, both gross misdemeanors.

]]>http://www.kduz.com/2017/08/17/hutchinson-man-charged-with-criminal-sexual-conductdwi/feed/0Tornadoes in South-Central MNhttp://www.kduz.com/2017/08/17/tornadoes-in-south-central-mn/
http://www.kduz.com/2017/08/17/tornadoes-in-south-central-mn/#commentsThu, 17 Aug 2017 10:30:23 +0000markhttp://www.kduz.com/?p=93602NICOLLET, Minn. (AP) — The National Weather Service says at least three to as many as six tornadoes touched down as severe storms moved through south-central Minnesota.

Meteorologist Jacob Beitlich tells The Associated Press the first reported twister was on the ground around 4:20 p.m. Yesterday (Wednesday) near Lake Crystal.

Beitlich says forecasters later received several reports of tornado touchdowns around the town of Nicollet, about 11 miles north of Lake Crystal. Tornadoes were also reported near the towns of New Sweden, Gaylord and Winthrop.

No injuries were reported, but Beitlich says some farm buildings near Nicolett were destroyed.

The weather service will send a team to survey the storm damage today (Thursday).

]]>http://www.kduz.com/2017/08/17/tornadoes-in-south-central-mn/feed/0Rep. Urdahl’s New Book on Civil Warhttp://www.kduz.com/2017/08/17/rep-urdahls-new-book-on-civil-war/
http://www.kduz.com/2017/08/17/rep-urdahls-new-book-on-civil-war/#commentsThu, 17 Aug 2017 10:20:16 +0000markhttp://www.kduz.com/?p=93599(Learfield News Service/Grove City, MN) A new book on the Civil War comes out today by State Representative and acknowledged historian Dean Urdahl of Grove City.

“Remains of Glory” covers the last two years of the Civil War in its western theater: Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Louisiana and Missouri.

Urdahl says, “Most of our Minnesotans who are fighting the war do so in the western theater, and they fight very heroically. The last major battle, for example, at Nashville was won in large part through the efforts of the 5th, 7th, 9th and 10th Minnesota Regiments.” Urdahl says the only regiment of Minnesota’s 11 that fought in the east was the 1st Minnesota, which sustained an 82 percent casualty rate at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Nearly one in four Minnesotans enlisted in the war effort, at a time when the state was only a few years old. Urdahl says, “The population of Minnesota at the Civil War when it started was about 107 thousand, and we had 24 thousand Minnesotans enlist in the war effort, which is a very high percentage comparatively per capita.”

Urdahl says in his book he not only covers Minnesota’s Civil War regiments, but also the personal life stories of some of the men and what the war did to them. His earlier book, “Three Paths to Glory,” follows Minnesota’s regiments during the first two years of the Civil War.

It happened just after 10:30am on Main Avenue at the intersection with 3rd Street and Jefferson Avenue.

Officials say it involved two vehicles and a motorcycle.

The motorcyclist, 59-year-old Brian Severin of Gaylord, was killed in the crash.

The driver of one of the vehicles, 31–year–old Anna Eisenbraun of Gaylord, suffered non–life threatening injuries. The other driver was not injured.

]]>http://www.kduz.com/2017/08/16/gaylord-man-dies-in-three-vehicle-crash/feed/0Invasive Weed Found in One More MN Lakehttp://www.kduz.com/2017/08/16/invasive-weed-found-in-another-mn-lake/
http://www.kduz.com/2017/08/16/invasive-weed-found-in-another-mn-lake/#commentsWed, 16 Aug 2017 10:40:24 +0000markhttp://www.kduz.com/?p=93570ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A major search for an invasive aquatic weed that’s new to Minnesota has found it in one more lake.

The Department of Natural Resources says a search of 178 lakes in 20 counties by 200 trained volunteers found starry stonewort in Grand Lake in Stearns County. DNR invasive species unit supervisor Heidi Wolf says they’re pleased it’s the only new infestation found this year, and it appears to be small.

Wolf says they’re considering treatment options. Starry stonewort is very hard to kill. Herbicides often result in a “haircut” that kills the top of the plant but lets the rest regrow. Suction harvesting is another option. But the DNR is stressing prevention .

Starry stonewort has been found in nine Minnesota lakes, starting with Lake Koronis in Stearns County in 2015.

]]>http://www.kduz.com/2017/08/16/invasive-weed-found-in-another-mn-lake/feed/0Gaylord Man Captured After Bolting from Sentence to Service Crewhttp://www.kduz.com/2017/08/15/gaylord-man-captured-after-bolting-from-sentence-to-service-crew/
http://www.kduz.com/2017/08/15/gaylord-man-captured-after-bolting-from-sentence-to-service-crew/#commentsTue, 15 Aug 2017 16:59:34 +0000markhttp://www.kduz.com/?p=93560A Sibley County Jail inmate was captured after fleeing from his community service site near Gibbon.

The Sibley County Sheriff’s Office says 26-year-old Patrick Moses Junior of Gaylord fled just after 1pm Yesterday (Monday) while doing community service at the Clear Lake County Park south of Gibbon.

Moses was serving a sentence in the Sibley County jail for a probation violation.

Authorities from four different agencies conducted a land and air search for the suspect.

Four and a half hours later, officers located Moses Jr. on County Road 2, several miles from the park.

He was taken into custody and authorities expect Moses will be charged with escaping from custody.

]]>http://www.kduz.com/2017/08/15/gaylord-man-captured-after-bolting-from-sentence-to-service-crew/feed/0Former Area Priest Accused of Sexual Abusehttp://www.kduz.com/2017/08/15/former-area-priest-accused-of-sexual-abuse/
http://www.kduz.com/2017/08/15/former-area-priest-accused-of-sexual-abuse/#commentsTue, 15 Aug 2017 16:25:20 +0000markhttp://www.kduz.com/?p=93557(KWLM/New Ulm MN-) A priest who served at several area churches has been accused of sexual abuse.

In a letter sent to parishioners by Bishop John Levoir of the Catholic Diocese of New Ulm, Levoir says they have received notice of an allegation of sexual abuse against Father James Devorak when he was assigned at St. Pius X parish in Glencoe in the 1990s.

Devorak, who retired two years ago, was senior associate at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Willmar and assisted at Our Lady of the Lakes at Spicer, St. Thomas Moore in Lake Lillian and St. Patricks in Kandiyohi in 2013 and 2014.

During his 43-year career, Devorak also worked at churches in Clara City, Montevideo, Granite Falls, Hutchinson, Stewart and many more.

He was also an associate at St. Mary’s in Willmar in 1975 and 76.

Looking at Devorak’s resume provided by Bishop Levoir, it appears Devorak was moved to a different church in the New Ulm Diocese every two or three years.

Bishop Levoir says anyone who has suffered sexual abuse by a priest or anyone else involved in church ministry, regardless of when it happened, should contact local law enforcement.

They can also contact the diocesan victim assistance coordinator or The Bishop’s Delegate in Matters Pertaining to Sexual Misconduct at 507-233-5313.

Levoir also asks for prayers for those affected as the investigation moves forward.